The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-05-22
WO BEARS IN CAMP.
They Remain All Night and Have
Much Fun.

Les GATos, CAL, May 12.-Frank
Brandon and Rick PAster roasted in 3
tree in the Gabilan Mountains a week
ago, and they walked lame when they
came into town to day. They came
here a week ago yesterday with three
horses. two under saddle and one with
a pack, to get provisions for their camp
on the San Francisquita. where they
were hunting and fishing with party.
They bought sack of flour, some
beans, bacon, eggs, butter, beer and a
small keg Of molasses, which they put
on the pack saddle and started back
across the Gabilans. AS they started
late, they had to camp in their blankets
that night on tie side of the mountain.
They selected nice spot near some
tall trees, unsaddled the horses, put the
pack at the foot of tree and prepared
to make things comfortable.
Brandon led the horses down to the
creek to water them, and hobble them
where there was grass, and Fflster went
diminishing for dry wood to make a
place together, and were grievously
surprised. 1t was dark, but they could
see that something was wrong in camp
as they came through the brush. When
they emerged into the clearing a big
piebald lump of something also came
rolling toward them. 1t growled in q
very terrifying manner, and 1t was too
big to be stopped by revolver bullets.
Brandon and Phster bad no weapons
other than light revolvers, and they did
not try to stop the singular monster.
Brandon went up the nearest tree, and
Pfster threw his armful of wood at the
piebald object and skipped. He got up
another tree just in time to escape a
vicious blow of paw that made the
bark fly.
The piebald object growled and went
back to the pace where the provisions
had been left. The two men in the
trees then made out two large animals,
rolling and tumbling about in camp.
They were black and white, but the ar
rangement of color seemed to be vari-
able. The more they rolled the bigger
grew,.the white patches. They were
evidently having a great deal OF fun
with something. Brandon started
down from his perch to investigate.
but his boots made noise, and Phster
shouted 10 shin back up the tree. He
got back. One of the things in black
and white galIoped lumberingly to-
ward the tree, made a slap at it and
went back.
When the moon came up and the
light struggled through the trees,
Ptister and Brandon saw two large
grizzly bears making wreck. of the
things in camp. They had knocked in
one end of the molasses key,
ripped open the -four bag,
smashed the eggs, eaten the ba-
con, and got themselves smeared
with the butter and molasses. AS they
rolled about on their backs trying to
discover some way of getting at the in
side of the beer bottles, they covered
themsel yes with -four that stuck to the
molasses The men in the trees tried
their rev, lvers on the bears. but the
excitement and exertion had ratified
their nerv, 8, and their shots told only
occasionally. The result of the firing
was to bring both bears growing to the
trees, and in their rage they made eff
forts to climb up that were not so alb
surdiy unsuccessful as to be reassuring.
BRANDON and Pits er concluded that 1t
would be safer to- let the bears run the
camp in their own way for the rest of
the night.
The molasses orgie lasted until near
daylight, and the two men were about
ready to drop from their perches when
they saw the disreputable-lo looking rev.
oilers pick themselves up and move
away. In rolling about the bears
had got their faces covered with a
mass of molasses, leaves, dirt and fol est
debris, and were nearly blind. They
blu ndered through the chapparal
bumped their heads against trees,
growled at every bump, and made q
great row getting away. A series
of furious growls and the crashing OF
branches told that they had gone
head first over the brink of the gu.ch
and were rolling to the bottom.
Then Brandon and Pfister DIR opped tc
the ground. When the stiffness oil
their limbs wore away. they drank q
bottle of beer each, caught theil
horses and cleared out. The bears had
destroyed both saddles, and they had
to ride bareback to the San Francis
ouita, which did not tend to alleviate
the pains accumulated during the night
spent astride of tree branches. When
they get Timber enough to run or clint
trees there will be grizzly hunt in the
Gahilan Mountains.